Veteran2-Playbill23

THIS IS MY BRAVE
HISTORY
FROM A BLOG TO A SHOW
In August of 2011, more than six years after Jennifer
Marshall’s bipolar disorder first surfaced, she decided
to start a blog. It became a place where she turned to
write about her life as a wife and young mom to two
small kids, and writing helped her begin to heal. She
titled it: Bipolar Mom Life. Jennifer wrote anonymously
at first, because she was afraid of being judged. She
also worried that disclosing her mental illness may make
future employment opportunities difficult. For eighteen
months, Jennifer wrote and found community online.
Other writers who were openly sharing their stories of
overcoming mental illness inspired her, and when she
landed her first paid writing job, Jennifer decided to stop
hiding behind a pen name.
When WhatToExpect.com published her first article with
Jennifer’s byline, it was also picked up by AOL.com (the
parent company). The outpouring of support and gratitude
when that piece hit the Internet with her real name was
overwhelming. She knew immediately that disclosing was
the right decision. She could finally talk about all parts of
her life, and not just the shiny, fun moments.
About six months later, Jennifer had the idea to launch
a theater show. A simple storytelling show where
individuals from the community could tell their stories
through creative expression to break down the stigma
associated with mental illness. She wanted to give
individuals from the community the same opportunity
she had – a stage on which to share their story of living
a successful life despite mental illness. Jennifer met her
Co-Founder, Anne Marie Ames, at a mutual friend’s party
and recruited her to help put the project out to the world.
Jennifer and Anne Marie launched This Is My Brave
on Kickstarter in October of 2013 and the excitement
surrounding the project grew and grew. They offered
tickets to the first show and handmade “BRAVE”
bracelets, among other items, as rewards for financial
pledges of support. Within 31 days, the campaign had
surpassed their goal of $6,500 to fund the first show,
ending up with over $10,000 in contributions. It was clear
that the community wanted to help bring this show to life
– they believed in the vision and Jennifer and Anne Marie
were dedicated to delivering an exceptional production.
After the success of the debut show in 2014, Jennifer
and Anne Marie began receiving interest from
individuals in other cities to bring the show to their
community. This Is My Brave, Inc was formed as a
501(c)(3) and the organization began to expand
to new cities through the support of volunteers
willing to donate their time and expertise to
coordinate shows.
Photo credit: Jim Folliard
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